The field of the present invention is fluid driven turbines and applications thereof, including turbochargers.
A Pelton turbine was invented over a century ago. A high pressure nozzle or plurality of nozzles focuses a jet of fluid in a direction to optimize energy transfer into a wheel with cups or pockets. The energy from the velocity and mass of the fluid will be captured by the wheel and rotate with high efficiency (impulse turbine). After the fluid contacts the cups or pockets, the deflected and spent energy source falls into an open chamber and flows away with the help of gravity.
Optimally, this system leaves no energy in the fluid, after cup or pocket contact, to propel the fluid to be returned to its initial fluid source. Any effort to use the driven wheel to power a fluid return system to this date seems to not have been employed, possibly because the energy to drive a pump of conventional means would require energy from the system. On a conventional engine, in order for acceleration to take place, fuel is added creating a temporary “rich” condition, an imbalance of air-fuel ratio. This rich condition causes an increase (acceleration) in engine speed (rpm) which then causes more air to enter the induction system. In time, the system becomes balanced again in regards to air-fuel ratio. When a turbocharger is added to this scenario, turbo lag is encountered. Turbo lag increases the time of imbalance of the air-fuel ratio and causes an additional delay in acceleration; which is due to mechanical acceleration time where the turbocharger's rotating assembly needs to be accelerated to create more air flow. In both of these engine types there is a time period where excessive pollutants are made and a loss of power occurs when the air to fuel ratio is not optimum.